Choices
by etsunara
Summary: This is the sequel to Help. A new problem arises, and Ed and Tea must band together to take it down. But will something more come from this? What will Winry do? Read to find out
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's the sequel, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA (or Ed, sadly, but I have an Ed plushie if that counts for anything)**

**Chapter One:**

Roy and the others had left for Central to deal with Tanya, and I had decided to remain in Ed's home town, though he seemed to be taking extra care to avoid me since my question.

I could have pushed him to answer, but I decided to drop it. Instead, I would go straight to her.

I wasn't really sure what she thought of me. I had only been here a short time, and was more focused on my work than her. I guess I would find out.

I found her and Ed in her workshop, she was tuning his automail.

She looked up when I came in and smiled. "Hey," she said.

"Hey." I gave her a smile. I glanced at Ed to see him avoiding my gaze.

"Well, there you go, Ed," she said, after a bit more tuning to his automail.

"Thanks, Winry," he said, and he got up and left.

I stood there silently for a moment, unsure of how to continue.

"Thank you. For helping Al, that is," she finally said, not looking up from her workbench.

"Oh, um, no problem," I replied.

"I know why you're here," she said. "It's about Ed, isn't it?" She turned and faced me.

I hesitated, then said, "I don't think it matters. Not to him, anyways. He seems oblivious to everything."

"He's been busy," she said. "There are more important things than love in life."

"But you do love him?" I asked.

She was silent.

I decided to leave it at that. I turned and headed towards the door.

Her voice suddenly cut through the air just as my hand was about to turn the. "You think you can just waltz into my house and just take him? Just like that? You think that just because you saved his younger brother he'll be head over heels for you?"

"I don't plan things out like that," I replied. Then I looked over my shoulder directly at her. "But it certainly helps." I gave her a tight smile, and then turned to leave.

I wanted to go talk to Ed, but decided against it. Instead, I wandered away from the house, letting my feet guide me. Without meaning to, I ended up at their old house.

"Hey," a voice said behind me, causing me to jump.

I turned to see Al standing there. "Hey, Al."

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure, I just kind of ended up here," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I guess I just wanted to talk," he said, but it looked like he had more to say.

"Something's bothering you," I observed. "What is it?"

He paused. "It's… well, I don't know, really. It all just seems to easy, you know?"

"Ed's skilled, I guess," I said, trying to reassure him, but, truth be told, I agreed with him.

"Yeah, I know he is, but even so, a lot of it's luck, and if this woman created a homunculus, then that means she's skilled, too."

I thought about it. "Hey, Al, how about we check out that cave again." He looked at me, and I thought I saw a bit of excitement, but it was quickly covered up with fear. "Actually, you go back home, I'll check it out." I could tell he wanted to protest, but he finally nodded and headed back to the Rockbell's house.

I made my way back to the cave where we fought with Tanya. I looked around before entering, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. I took a deep breath, thankful I decided to wear shorts instead of a skirt. I traced my steps back to the cavern where I fought Tanya. Everything had been cleared out once my brother and his team had looked around, and they said they didn't find anything suspicious, but still… something didn't feel right. I walked towards the center, sensing something in the cave, but I wasn't sure what. Could it just be paranoia?

I sighed, it had to be. What was I thinking? There's nothing down here.

I turned to leave and came face to face with a auburn haired, brown eyed woman. I cried out in surprise and stumbled back a few steps.

"Wh-who are you?" I asked.

"Me? I'm your worst nightmare," she said.

"Do you - er, well, did you work for Tanya?" I asked, getting my balance back.

"Do I look like a follower?" She asked. "Stupid girl, Tanya works for me."

"Not anymore she doesn't," I said. "She's in Central, in prison."

"And I'm counting down the seconds until she breaks out," the girl said.

Well, shit, I thought to myself. That doesn't sound good. "So, what now? You capture me? Kill me? What?"

"I let you go," she said, turning to leave.

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me," she said. "I can't wait to see what you do about this. I'll be watching you." She left the cavern, and she left me standing there, confused and a bit scared.

After a moment, I snapped out of my stupor and ran as fast as I could out of the cave and back to the Rockbell's house.

I burst in on them just sitting down for dinner.

"We have trouble!" I said.

"What kind of trouble?" Ed asked, looking worried.

I glanced at Al, who looked at me, and I knew he knew what I was about to say. Well, the general gist of it. I knew I could hide this from him forever.

I took a deep breath and told them about the woman I met.

"Why were you even down there anyways?" Ed asked.

"I was following a hunch," I replied. "Even you have to admit that Tanya went down way to easily."

Ed didn't respond, but I knew he agreed with me.

I took a deep breath and then reluctantly said, "Ed, I need to leave. I need to warn my brother and help him in any way I can." I caught a glance at Winry from the corner of my eye and she looked almost happy.

"I'm coming, too," he said. Instantly the smile faded from her face.

"Ed, no, it's too dangerous," she said.

"Exactly, Tea isn't an alchemist, I mean, she sort of is, but she needs help," he said.

"Yeah, can't her brother do that, though?" She asked. "Besides, you already quit, you don't owe the State anything." She sounded close to tears, and, honestly, I couldn't blamer her.

"You don't have to do this, Ed." I didn't want to turn away his help because I knew I would need it, but I still didn't want him to feel obligated.

"I know, but you've already done so much to help. Besides, I'm already kind of involved, I'm not about to back out until this whole thing is done with."

I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"I'm coming, too," Winry said. "Ed needs his automail mechanic there with him."

"In that case, I'm coming, too!" Al said, standing up.

Simultaneously, Winry, Ed, Pinako, and I shouted, "No!"

"But-"

"No," Pinako said. "You're much too young."

"I'm not about to lose you again," Ed said. Then he looked at me and Winry. "We leave first thing in the morning.

**A/N: I'm sure I've had longer chapters, but it felt like a good stopping point. Hope you liked it! I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP! Again, sorry if it's too short.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Not much to say, so I guess I'll get to it.**

**Chapter Two:**

I sat in silence on the train ride to central, deep in thought, while Winry chatted quietly with Ed.

I've only been to Central twice, and both times I was the barer of bad news. I'd need to plan a vacation here one day, just to relax. Maybe visit Roy. Maybe even with Ed-

No, no, no, I thought to myself. You need to stop thinking like that. Especially when there's so much at stake.

I stood up to take a walk and clear my head.

"Where are you going?" Ed asked.

"On a walk," I said.

"To exactly where, might I ask?" Winry asked. Her tone was nice enough, but if looks could kill; however, the look immediately vanished when Ed looked at her.

"I just need some time to think," I said. Which was true. "About this whole Tanya business." Still somewhat true. Without another word, I quickly left, though I was unsure of where I was going to go.

I ended up in one of the cargo cars, and, leaning against the wall, I slid down to the floor.

"You okay?" Someone asked.

I looked up to see Al standing in front of me.

"Al?" I asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be back in Resembool with Pinako!"

"I wasn't about to sit around and do nothing," he said. "I'm young, but I'm still capable."

I sighed. "Ed won't be happy about this."

"I can make my own decisions," he said.

I gave another sigh. "Well, I guess he better find out now, rather than later." Standing up, I led Al back to where we were sitting.

"Back already?" Winry asked when she saw me.

I ignored her. "Ed, I have a surprise for you, and you won't be happy about it." I stepped aside to reveal Al.

"Al? I told you to stay with Pinako!" Ed cried out.

"I'm not helpless, brother," Al said. "I want to help you."

"It's too dangerous."

"It was dangerous back when you were a State Alchemist, too, and I still came along."

"Yeah, because you had a suit of armor for a body," Ed said, crossing his arms.

"It was still dangerous," Al defended. "There was always the risk of someone finding the blood seal and destroying it. Brother, please, I want to help you."

Ed sighed and rubbed his head.

"I think you should let him stay, Ed," I said.

"What?" Winry asked. "Are you trying to get him killed?"

"No, not at all," I said. "But after what Tanya did to him, he deserves the chance to fight. Plus, we'll keep an eye on him. We could always use extra help."

Ed looked at me, then at Al, and then at the floor. Finally, he looked up. "Fine, you can stay. But-" Ed was cut off by Al cheering and hugging him. Ed smiled, but quickly pushed him back, gripping his shoulders. "But, you have to promise me to be careful, okay? Try to stick with me, too."

"Okay, brother, I promise," Al said.

"Ed, are you stupid? He's just a kid!" Winry cried out.

"He looks like a kid," Ed corrected. "But you have to remember that, technically, he's only a year younger than me."

"I'd count that if he hadn't lost his memory when you restored him, Ed," Winry said.

"He's gotten really good at alchemy, though," Ed said. Winry opened her mouth to say more, but Ed stopped her. "Look, I know you're just looking out for him, but he's my brother, so it's my job to look out for him. He's staying."

Just then, the train started to slow down. "This is it," I said, mostly to myself. I looked around at everyone. "You all ready?" The nodded. "Then let's go to the Central HQ."

We headed off the train, and Ed lead us to the Central HQ.

We walked through the busy streets, and I had more time to take in the area this time. As I looked around, I saw a figure in a dark alley. I stopped and looked. It looked like it was looking right at me, and I thought I saw a grin, but a moment later, the figure vanished, and I was left staring at an empty alley.

"Hey, what are you doing? We don't have time for sightseeing," Winry called back to me.

I looked over to see them ahead of me, staring back.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked.

"Oh, nothing, I just thought… well, it's nothing," I said, quickly catching up to them. "Is there anything down there, Ed?"

"Down that alley? As far as I know, just an abandoned bar," Ed said. "I've been there once, but they ran out of business. Didn't get enough customers, I guess."

"I see." I glanced back at the alley before it disappeared from sight, seeing it still empty. I made a quick mental note of it's location, and I returned my focus to where we were heading.

In a matter of minutes, Central HQ came into view.

"Will we be able to get in?" I asked, remembering my difficulty seeing my brother last time.

"I hope so," Ed said. "I'm not a State Alchemist anymore, but I quit recently enough to still have a few last things to take care of here. If all else fails, we wait outside for Armstrong or Havoc or someone to leave or come in and we get them to get us in."

I nodded, and took a deep breath. I didn't know why, but I was nervous. Maybe it was the thought of facing Tanya again, maybe it was the idea of seeing my brother again, I wasn't sure, but I tried my best to clear my mind.

We entered through the main doors and walked up to the first receptionist.

She looked up. "Ah, Mr. Elric, it's nice to see you again."

"You, too," Ed said. "I'm here to see Brigadier General Mustang,"

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but I just have a few things to take care of with him. It's very urgent, I hope you understand. State Alchemist stuff, you know?"

She nodded, though she didn't look like she knew at all. "Go right ahead, then."

"Thanks." He turned and lead us down the hall, and we eventually came to a second receptionist.

"Mr. Elric, a pleasure to see you again." It was the same woman as last time, and after smiling at Ed, she gave me a dirty look. I stuck my tongue out at her. Returning her attention to Ed, she said, "Do you have an appointment?"

"Unfortunately, no," Ed said. "But I have some very important business to take care of with the Brigadier General, just some last minute State Alchemist stuff."

"I see, well, he's in a meeting with his team, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait," she said.

"Oh, if it's just his team, it's fine, I'm sure they all miss me," Ed said, and without another word, he went straight towards Roy's door.

"Mr. Elric, I must insist you wait, please!" She called after him. Ed pointedly ignored her, and the rest of us followed his lead.

"Ma'am, I must insist that you shut the hell up," I said to the receptionist with a smirk on my face, and I followed the group into the room.

"And because of that-" Roy was saying to his team, but he stopped when we came in. "Ed what are you doing here?" Then he saw me. "Tea?" He looked confused, but then worried when he saw the look on my face. "What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth, but stopped myself. How did I want to break this to him? What exactly was I going to say? It was this kind of stuff that I wanted to figure out on the train.

"There's a, uh, problem," I finally said. "Tanya, well, she wasn't working alone. In face, she wasn't even the master mind behind all this."

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

"Well, I had a hunch; a bad feeling, so I went back to the cave, and I found this woman," I said. "She said that Tanya was supposed to get captured. That she was going to break out of jail here, and do… something. I'm not sure what, but it can't be good. Roy, we need to do something, and we need to do something soon."

He stood up immediately. "Let's start by checking her cell." He turned to his team. "This meeting will be postponed until further noticed."

He led us out, and as I past the receptionist, I stuck my tongue out at her.

**A/N: I don't think it's too much of a cliff hanger, but I hope you liked it. Sorry if it took me a while, please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey, guys, sorry it's been a while. No motivation, working all the time, you know, same old excuses. Anyways, I don't own anything.**

**Also, forget this for the last chapter, but I don't own FMA. Only my OC. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three**

Roy led us to the basement of central, where the prison was. He stopped at a door, and said, "This is her room. Go on in, she's restrained, so she can't hurt you." He paused for a moment. "You are a detective, so I'll let you start out, but if I think she's getting out of control, I'm going in there."

"Yeah, yeah," I said. I put my hand on the doorknob, pausing only a second before pushing the door open and entering.

Tanya sat in a chair with her head resting on her handcuffed hands.

She was at a table, and I sat down in front of her, and said, "Tanya."

She looked at me briefly before returning her gaze to the wall behind me.

She seams to broken to be ready to break out, I thought.

"Tanya," I said again. She looked at me, and I continued quickly. "Who do you work for? What's her name?"

A small smile momentarily crossed her lips, and though it was quick, it was still noticeable to me. "I don't know who you're talking about."

"I think you do," I said. "She has brown eyes, and auburn hair. Who is she?"

This time, Tanya trained a cold stare at me. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

I met her gaze for a moment, before turning and opening the door. She spoke before the door could close, "But what I can tell you is: everything is about to change." I turned my head to see her old, malicious smirk, and her old fire in her eyes.

I closed the door, and looked at Roy. "I want her under maximum security. And I want to be the head of the security."

"It doesn't work that way, Tea," Roy aid.

"Make it work," I said. "Brigadier General."

Roy sighed. "Fine, I'll what I can do." He turned to Riza. "Hawkeye, take them to the hotel nearby, tell them to put everything on my tab."

"Yes, sir!" Riza said. "Come on, you four, let's get going."

She and her team led us out of the prison, through HQ and back to the streets. She led us through a maze of streets, but I was very careful to pay attention to where we were going.

We finally entered a hotel, and Riza spoke to the receptionist quickly.

"Alright," she said, coming back. "The girls are in one room and the boys in another. Here are your keys." She handed one to each of us. "For now, we won't have any guards with you because we don't want to raise suspicion. But if things start getting really bad, there will be guards to keep an eye out for you. The girls are in room 201 and the boys in room 202, you're on the second floor. Roy will come over when he figures things out. We have to get back to HQ now, but if you need anything, here's the number to reach directly to Roy." She handed me and Ed a sheet of paper. "Try not to abuse it." With that said, she left.

The group started to go upstairs, but I stay put.

"You coming, Tea?" Ed asked.

"Um, in a bit. I think I want to check things out around her," I said. "You know, just scout out the area and stuff."

"Alright," Ed said with a shrug. "Just be careful."

I nodded, and quickly made my way back towards the alley where I saw the person. I tried to remember what the person looked like, or if the person was male or female, but all I remembered was seeing that smirk. Which wasn't anything to go on.

I found the alley with ease, and, taking a deep breath and a quick look around, I walked down. There was only one door at the very end of the alley. Hesitantly, I pushed the door open, and peeked around. The room was dark, but I could make out the form of a bar off to one side, and there were tables here and there. I walked in, and carefully closed the door behind me. Walking by a table, I ran my finger along the top, raising a storm of dust. It appeared that no one has been here for a while. I knelt down to examine the floor, and, after wiping my finger on it, I found that it to was dusty. Looking around I couldn't see any footprints left in the dust, but I guess that was to be expected. I got up and began to look around the room, walking to each side until I found a door in the back.

I pushed the door open, and look down a hall that smells like a sewer. I reached my hand into my pocket and find my ring the transmutation circle on it. I took a deep breath, slip the ring on, and quietly make my way down the hall.

It's long, and it smells rank, but I finally found the end. Pressed up against the wall, I peek around the corner, and see what looks to fire light in the distance.

I hesitated a moment. I should wait and come down here with Ed, or Roy, I think to myself. But I am already here. I'll just have to be creative if I get into a sticky situation.

I eased around the corner and walk as quickly and quietly as possible. I was about halfway there when I heard footsteps behind me. I spun around in shock and came face to face with the brown eyed, auburn haired woman.

"You!" I said.

She smirked at me. "You really shouldn't have come here. Normally I would have you killed, but I need you to deliver a message to Brigadier General Roy Mustang for me: You are done."

"What's that-" But I didn't get to finish my sentence, for she had stabbed a spear through my stomach, miraculously missing my vital points, and that spear a moment after piercing me, sent a jolt of lighting throughout my body.

It was the middle of the night when my eyes fluttered open, and I was on the steps of Central HQ. I struggled to sit up, even though my stomach just wanted me to lay down and never move again.

Instinctively, I looked down at my hand to see that my ring was, thankfully, still there. I used alchemy to create a walking stick from the stone steps, and I slowly made my way back to the hotel. As I approached, I saw three figures leaving.

"Tea? Tea!" That was Ed's voice, I was pretty sure. Letting go of my makeshift cane, I toppled down to the ground. Moments later, someone was rolling me over onto my back.

"What happened?" Ed asked. "Where did you go?

"I… went… bar… she's… here…" I managed to get out before blacking out again.

**A/N: Sorry if this is too short, and sorry if it took me a while. I can't remember when I last updated, so I guess it did take a while, but I have kind of a bad memory, and I'm finding it very hard to keep track of days and stuff. Maybe I should talk to someone about that… but whatever, I think I'm fine.**

**Anyways, I don't normally post stuff about my personal life, but tomorrow is my college orientation! W00T! I'm already registered for classes, and I star August 30****th****, so I have, like, a month of summer left. I guess it's kind of depressing, but I am excited to start school again. Cuz this time it's college and stuff :P yeah, anyways, hope you liked it. **

**Oh, one more thing, after rereading chapter two, I fixed to blatant mistakes. One was when Tea was taking, originally she was saying something about "Winry business" that makes absolutely no sense, since she's talking to Winry and Ed. I changed it to "Tanya business." There was also one part where I call Roy Brigadier Genera, and then literally a paragraph or two later, I call him Major General. DERP. So I changed the Major Genera to Brigadier General.**

**Alright, hope you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated, I really am. I've been so busy adjusting to college life. I really hope you don't hate me, but my lack of updating will just be something you'll have to get used to.**

**Chapter Four**

My eyes fluttered open to see a white ceiling above me, and I heard a machine beeping near me. Before I even had the chance to look around, though, I was greeted by the worried voice of my brother.

"Tea! What the hell happened? Are you okay? Who did this to you?"

"Sir, with all due respect, shut up and leave her alone!" I looked over to see Riza Hawkeye giving him a disapproving look. "She just woke up."

Ignoring them, I struggled to a sitting position. To my relief, it didn't hurt to sit, I was just sore.

"How long have I been out?" I wondered aloud, mostly to myself.

"A couple days," Roy said, a little less anxious. "How do you feel?"

I paused, considering the question seriously. "Better. A little sore, but I think that's from not moving a few days." I adjusted my sitting position and a sharp pain exploded in my stomach, causing me to buckle over. "Or… maybe not."

"Who did this to you?"

"The woman… the woman who Tanya is working for," I said, breathing hard as the pain slowly subsided.

"Do you know her name yet?" I shook my head. "Where is she?"

"I found her in the sewers, bellow an abandoned bar. Roy," I looked up at him. "She told me to tell you 'You are done'."

He sighed, looking away. Finally, he said, "Hawkeye, I want guards at their hotel immediately. Also, inform the team that their shifts are about to get much longer. We'll have a meeting shortly to discus new shifts. No one will be killed or injured on my watch."

"I need to go talk to Tanya again," I said. "I'm going to get something out of her, one way or another."

"I want you feeling better first," Roy said. "Those are doctors orders, too, I'm just relaying them."

I sighed. "Fine. I guess I can't argue with the doctors." I lay back down in the bed, a little put out that I couldn't leave yet.

"Hey, don't look so upset," Roy said. " Knowing you, you'll feel better in no time. Just get some rest."

I gave a slight smile, but it disappeared after a moment when I remembered the last time I had seen Ed, and how worried he had been. "Where's Ed?"

"He's out in the waiting room. He's been her the whole time you were out. I don't think he's slept, either."

I wasn't sure why, but I felt my heart flutter a bit.

"Did you want to see him?"

More than ever. "No, tell him I'm fine and he should go back to the hotel and sleep."

"Okay," Roy said, and he turned to leave. He looked back at me over his shoulder and said, "You should get some rest, too, Tea."

I nodded, but said nothing. From my peripheral vision, I saw Roy and Riza leave.

I lay in the hospital bed, alone in the room, the only sound the beeping of the machine hooked up to me.

I wasn't sure why, or when it started, but I was falling for Ed. It wasn't the cliché romance story where the girl falls for the boy the moment she laid eyes on him (or vice versa). Maybe it was when I went back to his town. I wasn't sure. But I knew that it was a pointless and stupid crush. We had a job to do, and, at any rate, Ed had Winry. He wasn't about to go for another girl. But you couldn't blame a girl for trying, could-

The door was suddenly slammed open, interrupting my train of though. I bolted into a sitting position, ignoring the pain in my stomach, coming face-to-face with Ed, who had just charged in.

"Edward, you're in a hospital!" Riza called from behind him.

"Elric, get out of my sister's hospital room! You need to go sleep, and she needs to sleep, too!" Roy called from right by Riza.

Ignoring them, Ed just stared at me, and I thought I saw something in his eyes. Compassion. But it was more than that. Before I could name what it was, though, it was gone. "I just needed to make sure you were alive," he said. "It only seemed right since I was the one who found her."

"Ed, you need to sleep," I said. "I'm fine, you don't need to worry."

He sighed. "You didn't look fine two nights ago. What the hell happened?"

"I found the woman Tanya is allegedly working for," I told him. I sighed. "Ed, I promise to tell you about this later, but right now I need to sleep and get my strength back."

"Fine," Ed said. "Jut get better soon." He turned on his heel and pushed through Roy and Riza who quickly followed him out. No doubt to make sure he actually went back to the hotel.

I lay back down on the bed and closed my eyes, not really focusing on anything, and I was out in a matter of minutes.

My eyes fluttered open, and I bolted upright in my bed. I had no idea what day or time it was, or where I was. I stopped myself before I bolted out of the room and looked around.

A hospital? I thought to myself. I'm in a hospital? Why?

The door slowly creaked open, and I tensed, ready to jump out of bed and fight. I relaxed when Roy stuck his head around the door.

"Tea, how are you?" He asked. Hearing his voice, and those words made me remember what was going on.

"How long have I been out?" I asked. I hesitantly swung my legs over the bed and stood, feeling now pain.

"A couple more days."

"I'm feeling a lot better. I think I'm ready to talk to Tanya again."

"About that," Roy paused. "I'm still waiting for approval from the Fuhrer for you being head of security. I assure you she is under maximum security, and, right now, I'm head, so if he doesn't approve it, it won't matter, you can still get information out of me."

"How long will it take him to approve this?"

"I'm not sure," Roy admitted. "He wasn't to meet with you as soon as possible, though. Do you feel up to it?"

"Get me some clothes and I will," I said, noticing for the first time I was dressed only in a blue hospital gown.

"Over there," Roy nodded his head to a table at the end of my bed. "I'll wait outside for you."

I waited before the door closed behind him before I quickly stripped the hospital gown off. I stared at my stomach for a moment, admiring my new scar. It still looked fresh, and I still had stitches holding my skin together, but part of me was proud. Proud that I did what I did, all alone, and still came out alive.

I dressed quickly in the black shorts and black tank top, and slipped on my black boots.

I walked out the door and looked at Roy. "Lead the way."

Instead, he pulled me into a hug.

"Please, don't do something like that again," he said. "I was so scared that I lost you."

"Something had to be done, Roy," I said.

"I know, but I've lost enough family."

I wasn't really sure what to say. Until recently, I was sure that he didn't care about our parents death. "Roy, can we just focus on the job at hand?"

He hugged me a moment longer before pulling away and putting his hands on my shoulders. "Yeah, let's go." With that said, he turned and led me out of the hospital, through Central, and back to Central HQ. We wound through the corridors and up stairs until we came to two large, oak double doors.

"You ready?" He asked, glancing down at me.

I took a deep breath and nodded, pushing through the doors ahead of my brother.

The room was large, with a large, circular table in the center of the room, and a large, oak desk behind it, closer to the window. A woman with short, blonde hair, with streaks of gray through it, sat behind the desk.

"Tea Mustang, I assume?" She asked in a no-nonsense-all-business tone. It wasn't mean, or, I assumed it wasn't intended that way, but it was curt and intimidating. I had never been so grateful to have my brother behind me than I was in that moment.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, hoping I sounded confident and unafraid.

"Please, have a seat," she indicated the seat in front of her desk. "Brigadier General, you may leave now."

"But-" he started, but stopped at the look on her face. "Yes, ma'am." He saluted her, then, to me, said, "I'll wait outside for you," and he took his leave.

We were both silent for a moment after the doors echoed after my brother's exit.

"What do you know about this Tanya, Tea?" She asked me.

"Honestly, not much, ma'am," I started. "I know she attacked my village first, though I'm not sure why. I know she kidnapped Al, and I know she's taking orders from a woman who is very much a threat." I paused to think, and, before she could say anything, I added, "I also know that, though I know very little, I know much more than you, and, with all due respect, ma'am, you need my help. I'm not sure what, but something bad will happen to this city, or my brother, or both."

"You bring up a good point," she said, a slight smile playing at her lips. "But answer me this: why would you do better than Brigadier General Mustang? I assume he knows as much as you, him being your brother, and he's one of my men, so I know I can trust him."

"Because, ma'am, I'm a detective; I'm trained to interrogate people by any means necessary. I honestly don't think Roy would do a good job at that," I said. "I can also assure you that you can trust me. I'm his sister, I wouldn't do anything to hurt him or the military he serves."

"If I asked, would you be willing to swear into the military to prove your loyalty?" She asked me.

Without pausing to consider which answer she wanted to hear, or how it would effect me in the long run, I blurted out, "Absolutely not! For these reasons: if you trust Roy, you can trust me, and on top of that, my home town needs me more than your damned military will ever need me!" As soon as I said that, my hands flew up to cover my mouth.

Shit, did I really just say that?

To my surprise, she smiled. "You really are Mustang's sister. I like your attitude, and I like that you were willing to stick to your standards, even if it might have cost you the job. I'll approve Mustang's request. Although, I would like you to report back to me every once in a while, this does, after all, involve my men and my city."

"Of course, ma'am, thank you so much!" I stood and bowed, and the hastily stood and saluted her, unsure how a civilian should treat the Fuhrer.

She just smiled and held our her hand for me to shake. Slightly embarrassed, I shook her hand, and she handed me a signed piece of paper. "Mustang will take you the prison we transferred Tanya to. Show this to the guards there, it's permission for you to replace Mustang as head of security, and it gives you free reign to come and go in the prison as you please. Good luck, Tea."

"Thank you, ma'am," I gave a salute, not feeling embarrassed this time, and turned to leave.

"How'd it go?" My brother asked the second the door closed behind me.

I smiled up at him and showed him the paper. "You're supposed to take me to the prison she's in, and then we can really start this investigation."

"Good job." He ruffled my hair, and I glared at him, but that quickly melted into a smile when he turned his back on me to lead me to the prison.

"Hey, Roy," I said as we left Central HQ. "I think we should go get the others. Ed, Al, and Winry, at least."

"Whatever you want, sis," he said.

**A/N: I do apologize again for the late update. I've been so busy and stressed lately. But I'll do my best to update when I can.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, not much to say, so here we go. Enjoy!**

**Also, I just fixed some spelling and grammar errors in my previous chapter. I need to get better at proof reading :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or Ed, only Tea and Tanya, and any other OC's I have forgotten.**

**Chapter Five**

I stood in front of the maximum security prison Tanya was held in while the guard looked over the papers the Fuhrer had given me. I was growing impatient, but I knew he had to do this; it _was_ his job after all.

Ed, Roy, Winry, Al, and Riza stood behind me, waiting patiently. Roy and Riza took up the rear, keeping a sharp eye out for any signs of danger. Al and Winry stood behind me, with Ed standing beside me. I knew Winry must be seething with jealousy, but I didn't permit myself to turn around and gloat. I had a job to do, and I had to do it.

"All right, Miss Mustang, you're all set," the guard finally said. "Sorry about the hold up, I just had to make sure everything was in order."

"Not a problem, I understand completely, sir," I said.

"I'll keep these papers on file so all you need to do next time is give us your I.D and you can go right in," the guard explained. "Brigadier General Mustang, Tanya is being held in Cell Block D, in solitary confinement. Here, Miss Mustang, give this note the guard there and he'll let you in no problem. Good luck, you'll need it."

I nodded, and said, "I know." I walked through the now open gates. As soon as the gates closed behind us, Roy was in the lead.

"It's not too far from here," Roy said. "Are you ready, Tea?"

"As ready as I'll every be," I said. I leaned my head back and stared at the dark, night sky.

We arrived at the cell block in no time, and in a matter of minutes after that, I stood in front of her jail cell. There was a large iron door, with a small barred window at the top to let light and air in.

"She's all yours when you're ready," Roy said. "Just give the word and I'll unlock the door."

I gave him a curt nod.

"Is that an 'open the door'?" Roy asked.

I nodded again, this time a bit more impatiently.

"Tea, I asked you to say the word," Roy said, and I could practically hear his smirk. "Not nod th-"

"Roy, open the damn door!" I shouted.

He laughed, but unlocked the door and opened it just enough so I could slip through. He closed the door behind me, and all but a small sliver of light seeped in. I willed my eyes to see better.

"You're back." The blank voice of Tanya greeted me.

"Yes, I am," I said. "And I'm not leaving until I get what I want."

"Then you'll be here a long time," she said, and she looked away.

My eyes were gradually adjusting.

I walked over to Tanya and stood in front of her. "I'm going to ask you once nicely: who are you working for?"

"And I'm going to tell you the same thing. I don't know what you're talking about."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. In a flash, I had her by the neck, picking her and the chair she was chained to up off the floor and pinning her against the wall. She let out a startled cry.

"I'm not playing around, Tanya," I said, my face inches fro hers. "You might not lose anything from this, but I will, and I will do _anything_ to stop you and your boss."

I saw only a small hint of fear in her eye, but it only lasted a second before a cold sneer crossed her face.

"Well you won't get anything from me," she whispered.

"Oh, yes I will," I said, slamming her and her chair hard against the wall.

A cry of pain escaped her mouth, but it quickly turned into maniacal laughter. Annoyed, I slammed her against the wall, but she just kept laughing.

"Answer me, dammit!"

Before I knew it, Roy was in the cell with me, pulling Tanya out of my grasp, and Riza was guiding me out of the room.

"Tea, what the hell's the matter with you?" Roy asked, locking the door behind him.

Ignoring his question, I turned on him. "What the hell, Roy? Why can't you just let me deal with things _my_ way?"

"Your way? Since when are you that barbaric?" Roy asked. "I've only seen that kind of interrogating from some of the worst alchemists from the Ishbalan war."

"Roy, we need answers, do you have a better suggestion?" I asked him with a glare. He stayed silent. "Exactly. I'm going back to the hotel. Goodbye and goodnight." With that said, I turned on my heel without another word, not caring if anyone followed me.

I sat in the hotel, knowing Winry would be coming back eventually, but wanting nothing more than to be alone. I walked over to the window to see guards everywhere. There would be no escaping unless I really tried to. I was sure I could find some way to escape, but I would have to face Ed, Winry, and Al eventually. Maybe if I pretended to be asleep…

"You're insane!" Winry's voice cut through my thoughts as the door slammed open. I stayed facing the window.

"Winry, don't be so harsh, she only-" Ed started, but got cut off by Winry.

"Don't take her side, Edward!" She cried. "You heard her yelling at that lady! You heard what she was doing!"

"She was trying to get answers," Ed said. "So we wouldn't have anymore kidnappings, or worse, killings. What she was doing might have been barbaric," I felt my heart drop a little at that. "But it's a hell of a lot more than what you're doing."

I finally turned around to see Winry staring open-mouthed at Ed, while Ed looked back at her with a sad look. Al, however, was starting at me. He didn't look scared, or mad, but proud… or maybe he looked inspired. Either way, he was grinning at me.

"Come on, Al, let's go to bed," Ed said, and he and Al left to their room.

Winry slowly closed the door behind them before turning on me.

"You think you're all that," she said under her breath. "You think you'll win him over. Just like that. You're wrong."

"No, you're wrong," I said quietly. "I'm not here to win someone over. I'm here to help my brother. I'm her so she doesn't escape and kidnap Al, or anyone else again. I'm here so she won't kill anyone else and create a homunculi. Ed followed me in order to help me. And, in case you haven't noticed, Winry, I've been doing what I came here for; I haven't been drooling over some guy. Unlike you, who specifically came here for him. In the time you've spent with him, I've found where this mysterious boss of Tanya's is, I've gotten knocked out and put in the hospital, and I've found out this mysterious woman is after my brother. Along with the entire military, probably. So, no Winry, I'm not after your man. I might hope he falls for me, but I've got more important things to do than chase after some guy." With that said, feeling it was the right thing to do, I walked towards the door. I wasn't sure where I was going, but when I opened the door, Ed stood there, his hand frozen in the air about ready to knock. I gave a small, sad smile. "How much did you hear?" He shrugged, and I knew he heard everything. Not sure what to say, I just said, "Sorry," and I pushed past him.

**A/N: I guess it's kind of short, but I felt it was a good place to end. I think the next chapter, or the one after that, will be a Christmas chapter, depending on how quickly I can update. Though I am done with school, so I should have a lot more time to write.**


	6. Authors note

**A/N: Hey, guys, I'm wondering if you still want me to post a Christmas chapter or not... even if it is, like, three months late... I could have it done pretty quickly. Say, tomorrow night or Thursday, but it would be kinda... out of season. Let me know what you think, please!  
**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I want nothing more than to take a nap right not, but my mom says it's too late. Maybe I'll take one anyways.**

**On a happier note, our Christmas tree is now in the house. I'M SO EXCITED! But, oh my god, Christmas is ONE WEEK from today. Like, OH MY GOD!**

**Disclaimer: I own no one except Tanya, Tea, and this mysterious boss of Tanya's.**

**A/N: haha ^that's my authors note from when I started the chapter BEFORE Christmas. I considered taking it down and changing it, but I thought it was funny. Anyways, I was really excited because I got to decorate the tree. It was fun. I also got a 3DS with Ocorana of time. Woohoo! I was excited. Well, enjoy the UBER LATE CHRISTMAS-Y CHAPTER! Maybe you should bug your family/roommates/friends by playing Christmas music while reading this LOL**

**Chapter Six:**

_Previously:_

"_How much did you hear?" He shrugged, and I knew he heard everything. Not sure what to say, I just said, "Sorry," and I pushed past him._

I pushed past Ed and made my way down the hallway. I wasn't sure where I was going, but anywhere but here sounded good to me. I wandered about the hotel until I found a back exit. I looked around, and there were no guards in site. I made my way from the hotel to the city.

Lights were hung up, and it took me a minute to realize it was Christmas Eve.

I've been so preoccupied with the case, I forgot what day it was, I thought to myself.

I found an empty bench and sat down. Tomorrow would be Christmas, and this would be the first year I'd have a chance to celebrate with my brother, and I barely had any money to buy him a present.

I sighed.

"Hey." I looked up to see Ed standing in front of me.

"Hey."

He sat down next to me. He seemed nervous, and I didn't blame him.

"About what I said to Winry," I started. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean to her, an-"

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted. "I, uh, well, it sounded like…" he said more, but I couldn't really hear him.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing."

We sat in silence.

"I really appreciate what you did for Al, and what you're doing now. I might not have liked Mustang much when he was my boss, but he is a good guy."

"Sometimes I'm not so sure about that," I said, looking down. "I came here because he's my brother, and it's the right thing to do, and for the most part he seems like the brother I used to have; the brother I should have. But I can't help but remember that he did leave me after mom and dad died; he left me all alone. I feel a little conflicted." I paused. "This will be our first Christmas together in years, Ed. I don't even have a present for him. But, hell, what's it matter? He probably forgot, and who can blame him? I don't have time to worry about Christmas with this case."

"Yes you do," Ed said.

I looked up at him questioningly.

"You need to take a break from this case, before it drives you insane." He stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me up with him. "Come on, let's enjoy Christmas Eve together.

Speechless, I let him drag me through the city. When I finally relaxed and looked around, I was awestruck at how beautiful it was.

"You know, I never really celebrated Christmas," I said to Ed. At this point, I was walking next to him, but his hand still held mine, and mine held his.

"Me neither," he said. "I was always too busy looking for- I mean, finding a way to help Al."

Ignoring his stumble in speech, I asked, "Helping Al? Helping him with what?"

"I… well, we, that is. We, uh, we tried human transmutation."

I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes wide. "But… but that's illegal…"

"Yeah, I know, and I knew then, too, but after our mom died, I didn't know what else to do. I lost an arm and a leg, Al lost his whole body. I did the only thing I could think of: I sealed his soul onto a suit of armor."

"Ed, I… I don't know what to say," I started. "I'm sorry…"

"There's really nothing to say," he said. "It was our, well, my mistake. I talked Al into it. But we fixed it. That's what matters."

I stayed silent.

"Come on," Ed finally said. "I want to show you something."

I followed him until we reached the edge of Central.

"How far are we going?" I asked.

"Not too much farther," he said.

We walked through a small forest outside of Central, and came to a meadow on the other side of it. The view was absolutely gorgeous, and I was awestruck. The meadow had a river flowing through it that turned into a waterfall as it flowed off of the cliff at the edge of the meadow, and as we approached the cliff, I saw a lake far bellow us at the base of the cliff.

"The view is amazing…" I said, staring down.

"Al and I would come here all the time when the stress of our job became too much," Ed said, standing next to me.

"Ed, I need to ask you something," I said, not taking my gaze from the lake below. "You and Winry… what is she to you?" I waited for his answer, but he stayed silent. I looked up and saw him staring at the lake below, too, deep in though. Finally, I spoke again, "Sorry, that was too personal. Never mind, forget I asked."

"No, sorry, I was just thinking," Ed said. "Winry… she's a really good friend. Like a sister to me. She's always been there for me, even when I was being really stupid. She'd get mad at me all the time for breaking her automail, but I knew it was because she cared. I know she wants more, but I just don't think I can give it to her."

"Because of me?" I asked without thinking.

"Actually, no, not because of you," Ed said. "Like I said, she's like a sister to me."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I just looked back at the lake.

"That doesn't mean I don't care about you, Tea," he said. I looked up and met his eyes. "I do care, and I really appreciate everything you've done for Al."

"It's no problem, really," I said. "We both have good reasons to take down Tanya, and this new mysterious figure."

"I'll help you as much as I can," Ed said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you," I said, and I turned and wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

**A/N: Okay, so, yeah, totally, like, three months late or whatever, but, here you go! The Christmas-ey chapter I promised! It's more Christmas eve, but, still, hope you enjoyed! At any rate, I had a snow day today! Woohoo!**


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